((OMG I'm suuuper sorry for not posting. Believe it or not, for once, school has actually taken over my LIFE, which is highly unusual for my playfulness and takes up my computer time -- except when I have to write an essay. So I'm gonna try to make up for it as best as I can right now!))


Aerith pouted as she was forced to take a couple of steps away from him. "All right? All right?! What are you saying? It looks perfect on you!" Then again she couldn't really complain because Squall wasn't the type to shop for suits. He'd even said so himself. She shut her mouth then, as her grin faded. "Better than nothing though. I appreciate you trying on the suit for me, but you really don't have to take me out," she then blurted out, patting the side of his arm. Not quite the appropriate thing to say, but both Squall and Aerith knew he was only doing this as a favor, and that he was just being nice for her sake.

She wasn't looking to see if he was smiling, rather, adjusting the suit to look more clean and pristine on Squall. She smiled, not looking up when Squall decided to buy the outfit. "No dancing? That's no fun. Ah well. I suppose we'll go out for cocktails and a walk through the town," she then suggested. Aerith was a bit disappointed, but if Squall didn't want to dance, she couldn't do much about it. She wasn't a lush either, but there wasn't anything else on her mind that she thought of doing that night. Aerith reached behind her dress to play with the cord that tied the halter part of the dress.

"But fine. I promise."

Her fingers were crossed behind her back.

It wasn't only that Squall wasn't much of a dancer- it was the fact that the last time he went dancing... it was with Rinoa. He tried to forget that moment, but it had been haunting his dreams ever since she left him. It did, however, make Squall's tension ease as Aerith promised that they wouldn't dance, and that alone made him smile.
Not to mention how much attention she was devoting to him.

"Cocktails? That sounds great," he said. "Are we gonna change out of this stuff, or are we gonna hit the town right away? Again, it's up to you."
After the woman adjusted the suit, he spun in the mirror as Aerith had, half poking fun at her, and half checking himself out. Just because he was a guy didn't mean he couldn't check to see if he looked good! Smoothing his hair back, his attention focused back on Aerith, whose smile uneased him.
"What's that look for?" he asked, trying to look behind her back. "What are you trying to hide, woman?"

Aerith thought for a bit. "I...think we're going to head out right away," she decided. Stepping back a few inches after smoothing down Squall's suit, she watched as he looked at his reflection, she smiled at the tailor's handiwork. "It really looks dashing on you," she giggled. 'Dashing' wasn't a word that Aerith would typically use.

She furrowed her brows though. "Woman? The hell are you calling me woman for?! I have a name, you know! And I'm not hiding anything, either!" Her arms were no longer behind her back and she frantically waved her hands at her sides. "Look, see? I was only toying with the ribbons behind my back!" Aerith turned around to emphasize her point, the ribbons following her every move.

Exhaling a huff, she turned to the tailor. "So where are we gonna take our old clothes then?" she asked him.

"Oh, you can just keep them here and pick them up later. I'll keep them in the back room so no one will take them," he offered.

"Thanks! That would be a REALLY big help." Aerith turned back to Squall. "Well, we have nothing to worry about right now. Let's go!"

After the bit of snapping Aerith did at him, Squall was silent. He just followed the petite woman where ever she wanted him to go, like a homesick puppy. After they exited the shop, Squall took in a deep breath of not-so-fresh air. Shaking his head a bit, as if he'd forgotten where he was, he looked over at Aerith. She looked happier than ever, and he still wasn't sure why. So, like an idiot, he thought he'd ask.
"Why are you so happy?" he blatantly asked, smoothing his hair back. Her compliment just hit him, and he smirked. "And do you really think I'm-" he raised his brow- "dashing?"

At this point, Squall knew he was digging himself a hole, but, since he was already in it, he didn't see the point of backing out. It was more fun to toy with a woman when she was happy because, no matter how hard she tried to look angry, her eyes still smiled. That's how it always had been, and Squall didn't see the laws changing any time soon. A shower of contentment rushed over his nicely-dressed body, and his blue eyes sparkled into her green ones. She was actually something else, that Aerith.

He looked into the sky, in hopes of stars. There were none, of course, but Squall liked to delve into his memories for something good- and that's always what he came up with. No matter how crappy the place was around him, he knew he'd have a nice night. It was nearing Valentine's Day, according to the calendar hanging in their house, and he knew he should think of something special to do for Aerith. What? He didn't know yet.

((Ahaha, aww, I didn't notice you posted yesterday ^^;; sorry))

Sighing, she stormed out of the store, in front of Squall. 'The nerve of that guy...I swear...' Aerith thought, mumbling out incoherences showing her slight displeasement. She took a deep breath and let it out, as she heard Squall behind her asking her a question?

"What?" she asked first. Processing what he said a few seconds ago, she finally replied. "I'm happy that I get to be out of the house and that I'm actually doing something productive with my time." If you considered shopping for new clothes and trying to hang out with the guy you lived with and barely talk to except for lately as productive...

She tried to hide a smile, and closed her eyes, answering Squall's second question. "I only said you looked dashing to make you feel better about yourself. Honestly, Squall, you didn't have to buy it if you didn't want to." Aerith didn't want to make herself laugh. She didn't want to show herself blushing, but in the dark it wouldn't matter anyway. She knew that if she looked at the guy, she would probably throw herself at him...

...But then that would be too awkward, and Aerith had no reason to.

Except for that fact that Valentine's Day was nearing in a few days. And she had no boyfriend (Zack had been a case that was gone many years before). He had no girlfriend...unless he was still brooding over Rinoa.

She noticed how from their short distance how he was looking in her eyes, glared at him, and turned away. Looking at a nearby restaurant that seemed formal, yet romantic, Aerith pointed at the place.

"I wanna go here." She started walking forward, knowing Squall would follow.

'There's way too much about this guy I don't understand. He's a bit of a meanie...but haven't I gone for guys like that before? Ohhh, it's just so USELESS to do that! Snap out of it, Aerith. You're not supposed to be falling for someone who's rude to you most of your days. At least he was nice enough to offer to buy a suit just to accompany me on the town. That's not something you see every day,' she told herself.

"Hey, don't get all snippy with me," he said, still lightly smiling and staring at her with a gaze unmatched. "All I did was notice your change in attitude, Aerith. Doesn't that count for something?"
The restaurant the girl picked out was rather fancy, especially for this part of town, and had already begun decorating for Valentine's Day. A part of Squall wished he could've saved this special occasion for V-Day itself, but it was too late now. Aerith had already made up her mind, and, from experience, Squall knew there was no changing it.

He slowly hopped forward, catching the door for Aerith as another couple exited.
"Aww, look at them," the older woman said. "Such a fresh stage of love. You can tell by the look in his eyes."
Squall tried to clear his throat over the comment, but he knew it was too late. He shook it off, still holding the door open. Finally, a rush of cold, sweet air hit him from the diner. Nodding his head forward, he ushered his guest along.

There was quite a bit of a line waiting at the small podium used to mark seating arrangements and whatever else. As they gradually moved to the front of the line, Squall finally smiled in the artificial light. Looking at Aerith then back at the host, he said, "Two, nonsmoking," and, as if the host was his slave, the little man lead them to a table. Extending his arm, the host placed two menus on the table (rather close to each other), and scooted the chairs a bit closer. Squall shook his head in annoyance, scooted one chair to the other side of the round table, and held Aerith's chair out for her. As she said, he pushed her in, and sat across from her with a mocking smirk. It was almost agitating how many people were hinting at their togetherness.

"What would you like to drink, Miss?" asked the host.
Squall was fidgeting around in his seat for a bit, noticing the uncomfortable, slick cushions. He didn't make as much of a spectacle of himself as he'd done in the past, and, soon, he just let it be. His hands in his lap (because he didn't really know what was "proper"), Squall waited for Aerith to order a drink.

Dancing! he screamed in his head. No, there was no formal dancing here, but the usually rough man had an idea- and a good one, for once. His eyes lit up, and he kept his smile camouflaged.

"Hmph," she replied. "I guess it does." She wasn't about to let off with the attitude. That's just the way she was at times.

Walking towards the restaurant, she noticed all the pinks, whites, and reds all over the place, and Aerith was all too tempted to obtain a balloon for herself. They were probably gonna give the balloons and roses to whomever entered the place that was a couple. Certainly they wouldn't think Aerith and Squall were one, right? At least that's what she thought.

She said a polite "Thank you" to him when he kept the door open for her. Blinking as the older woman left, Aerith blushed and said to her, "But, we're not a couple..." But the lady and her gentleman were already out of earshot. She remained a light shade of pink as she entered the restaurant and said nothing to Squall.

"You can tell by the look in his eyes..." The woman's words didn't leave her mind. Certainly Squall didn't look any different, at least not to Aerith. She couldn't help but feel that pang of uncertainty of whether or not to look at him.

Following the seating host, she sat herself down, a bit annoyed that even THAT guy thought they were a couple. She graciously sighed when Squall moved his seat to the other side and thanked him for pushing her seat in. "What's that look for?" Aerith asked him, this time being the suspicious one.

When asked for a drink, she looked up. "Oh...strawberry daiquiri with whipped cream in a tall glass, please," Aerith replied without hesitation. Looking to her companion, she asked, "How about you, Squall?" She noticed there was a strange look in his eyes.

"Squall?"

"You can tell by the look in his eyes".

Really? Squall thought. What am I doing?
He was thinking the same thing as Aerith at this point, but he didn't blame everyone for pegging them as a couple. It was a natural assumption for this day in this place and in these clothes, but what was bothering him were the older woman's comments. He didn't know how he was looking at Aerith; ...he was just looking at her, or so he thought.
But eyes don't lie, he told himself. ...People can misinterpret them, though, right?

As he sat, he was dazed; in a world of his own. He was now thinking of what he had planned for Aerith, and he was, actually, quite impressed with himself. He couldn't believe he was going to do something special for her, that was only a couple thing... right? He gulped down a glob of nervous saliva that hung in his throat, and was snapped out of his trance by a firm, "Squall?"

Shaking his head, the stray locks of his hair curtaining his face. Wiping the bangs away, he looked toward the waiter, clearing his throat.
"Um," he choked. He tried to think of something light, but not cutesy like something Aerith ordered. "I guess I'll have what she is... only try to make it look less- er, feminine?"
He kind of chuckled at himself, and, with an approving smile, the waiter took off toward the kitchen. Still smiling to himself, Squall slowly turned to Aerith.

Balling up a fist, he rubbed his eyes after closing them tightly. Moving his hand from his line of vision, his eyes finally locked and rested on his company. His smile was gone, but so was his usual hardened stare. It was a nice medium.
"So, um," he wasn't sure what to say. This was a slightly awkward situation. "Aerith," he stalled. "Do you get really into this Valentine's Day, or do you think it's just one of those consumer holidays?"
He finally asked, sighing and leaning back in his chair. He believed the latter, but usually women were more into it than men. That was a broat assumption; Aerith wasn't like most women... but in a good way.

Squall continued to look at her, but cut off his thoughts from then on. For some reason his mind always strayed off and veered onto the path of how nice Aerith's company was, and, to be honest, he didn't want to own up to his feelings. Feelings only hurt Squall, he'd noticed. He looked down at the glasses of water that were placed on the table, each with a little lemon stuck on the rim.
"Thanks," he said as the waiter reassured them that their drinks were coming.

She laughed. "You do know that a daiquiri is a fruity drink, right? Not most guys go for that." Not to mention that it was also strawberry, but Squall would probably end up getting lime as the so-called "less feminine" version.

Aerith was pleased with the place she chose to hang out with Squall at, though all the couples just made it seem more awkward. Oh well, just as long as she and Squall looked good in their new formal attire...they blended in with the rest of everyone else. She was surprised to find an actual dance floor on the other side of the place, and remembered that she promised not to take Squall dancing. Then again, Aerith had her fingers crossed at the time. 'But he probably wouldn't be up for it...that's what he said,' she told herself.

On Squall asking about the Valentine's Day holiday, she shook her head. "Consumer marketing holiday, definitely. I've never actually been one to celebrate Valentine's Day, though most people thought I would. I find it quite disturbing though. Although I never minded the free chocolates I got from so-called 'secret admirers.' What about you, Squall? Have you ever celebrated this holiday?"

The days of February fourteenths gone by throughout the years, she was usually home alone, either because Zack was gone or because she wanted to avoid the multitude of stupid guys that came by her door sending flowers, balloons, and boxes of heart shaped chocolates that she mostly re-gifted to people in the neighborhood anyway. In grade school, teachers would make her cut out pieces of hearts. She found it rather pointless until she just decorated her childhood room with them. And then they got boring after Valentine's Day was over...Years later, Aerith just grew bored with it.

She looked to the side of the room, blankly. "It'd be nice to actually have someone to spend it though, for once."

"Me?" he asked, smirking. "Celebrate Valentine's Day. I don't even celebrate my birthday."
He kind of laughed, but looked away and took a sip of the glass of water. Shaking his head as he placed the glass laced with condensation back on the table, Squall looked back up at her again.
"I just never got into it. It's a nice thought, I guess, but the whole gift-giving thing is overrated. If you really care about someone, you should do something that means something to them instead of giving them something stupid, right?" he seemed to be asking for her approval, but he didn't linger on the notion long. He pushed his hair out of his face discreetly.

He turned his attention away from her for a moment, scanning the other people. They looked just like Squall and his company, glossy-eyed and deep in conversation, made up and dressed nicely. He sighed quietly, noticing most of them hold hands across the table or peck the other on the lips. He shook his head, ashamed of staring, and looked back to Aerith. The mood lighting overhead dimmed, and the candles lit variously around the room proved to be the only definite light source. Squall became fairly tense, he looked at the table.

Almost jumping as Aerith spoke once more, Squall's head shot up as he looked at her.
"I guess you're right," he noted. "But I could never find the right person-- I mean someone who thought the same way about it as me. Most girls just want a nice, fat piece of jewelry or a bunch of flowers that'll just die in three days, anyway. I dunno, it's pretty ridiculous, if you ask me-" He paused for a moment, reading Aerith's facial features. She didn't seem to oppose his opinion, so she went on. "-I mean, it's a so-called holiday of 'love'. Love, in my opinion, has nothing to do with fancy, materiallistic things or money. But that's just me."
He finished his rant, his cheeks filling with a light crimson red color. It didn't look that way in the dimness of the establishment, though, to his benefit.

"You don't celebrate your own--" she started, yet abruptly cut herself off. "Why not your birthday?" she asked. It was quite a surprise...she usually threw birthday parties for her close friends. The only difference was that she never actually threw Squall a party of his own, even though they lived together, and immediately felt a slight pang of guilt.

Trying to regain her composure after drifting off into her thoughts, Aerith blinked. "Giving gifts IS fun, yes, but I agree...I'd rather do something nice for the person I care for. Then again...that's kind of the same thing, isn't it?" she laughed.

"Jewelry? Don't need it. Flowers? I grow them...so I wouldn't need them either. Material things aren't that great...they get lost, dirtied, stolen, or tossed away. I'd rather give or have something that's special and irreplaceable. Love is when you give up something for the person you care about. That's what I think." She then looked around. "Hey, where are our drinks?" she asked, referring to the daiquiris.

"Why not my birthday?" he returned with the same, endearing coyness that laced around Aerith's voice every time she spoke. "It's just another day, you know? I grow older every day; there's no need to make one day so special to me. Plus, when I'm old, I won't want to even remember my birthday, yeah?"
He slid his hand through his hair, immediately realizing that was 'rude', and he plopped his fists back into his lap. He was still enjoying Aerith's company, studying her facial expressions, gestures, and words with explicit care. He didn't know why, but he was enamored with her. Maybe it was the atmosphere.

He chuckled at her next statement, "I suppose it is the same thing, but I meant what you said." he shook his head, for fear of confusing her. Squall didn't seem to have much of a way with words. "I mean... doing something of meaning is worth more than spending loads of money in the long run. But, I suppose, if some people like spending ridiculous amounts of cash on their lovers, then so be it. I, personally, won't be one of those people."
He casually slid his right leg over his left, crossing his legs as loosely as he could, for fear of ripping a hole in his new pants. He still wasn't completely used to the feel of them.
"Love is a sketchy subject-" he began, interrupted by the placing of glasses on their table. It was apparent that Squall's drink was as masculine as a daiquiri could get-- and that still wasn't very masculine at all. "-Er, thanks."

Squall motioned toward Aerith, "Ready to order?"- looking at her briefly, then back to the waiter.

"Well...because it's your birthday! Of course I'm worried about aging, but don't you just want a day that'd revolve around you just for being you?" Aerith blushed, it was really a stupid and narcissistic question to ask. "Um...that didn't come out right...sorry." She didn't want to argue with Squall, but of course many people were afraid of growing old. That wasn't the point, though.

"I guess, all in all, it comes down to spending time with the person you care for, doesn't it? When being materialistic isn't really worth anything in the end, right?" She shivered a bit, as the restaurant was a bit cold, or maybe it was just Aerith's nerves. She smiled, however, when their drinks were brought to the table. "You didn't want to order a glass of wine for yourself or anything instead?" Not meaning to really make fun of him, she just wanted to know why he just randomly picked a daiquiri.

The only "unfeminine" way it looked was just it being lime-flavored instead of strawberry, and without any whipped cream. Aerith, however, happily delved into her drink without a problem. "Thank you!" she chirped to the waiter.

Looking slightly horrified at Squall when he asked if she was ready to order, she replied. "I haven't even thought about it!" Neither of them looked at the menu either. She took a wild guess though. "Um...I'll have a...a shrimp fettuccine alfredo pasta with a side of sauteed mushrooms, please?" She hoped they at least had it.

Squall almost choked on his drink when he realized he hadn't even glanced at the menu. As Aerith spieled something from her lips, he noticed how far fetched her choice was; she was lucky, though... the waiter was scribbling down her order. Quickly peeling the menu open, Squall scanned the descriptions and ordered something to the effect of, "It all sounds good; just gimme your favorite dish."
The waiter chuckled at Squall once again, took their menus, and let them be.

He took another long sip of his less-than-manly drink, pushing a lock of stray hair from his eyes. Glancing awkwardly up at Aerith, Squall managed a measly smile. He didn't know why he was smiling, but something in his gut told him to. And you know how much men listen to their stomachs (...not to mention some other body part). He shook his head as she looked at him with an odd sensation laced in her eyes.
"Er, so..." his voice trailed off, but strayed back rather quickly. "...You look really great tonight."

As he noticed what he'd said, Squall had a mind to punch himself in the groin. He couldn't believe he just said that. The occasion was awkward enough without him blathering on about unnecessary things.
"So!" he tried to alter her concentration. "What is a hobby of your's.. like, if you weren't stuck here with me-" he cracked a smile- "-what would you want to be doing?"

She stifled a giggle, when Squall just left the choice up to the waiter. When he left, she shrugged. "I guess they take special orders here, too." Taking another sip of her daiquiri, or two, or three, she let the somewhat-alcoholic drink relax her and warm her up a bit. How it does that, she didn't know, but it happens.

She watched curiously as Squall smiled at her. Perhaps it was just to be polite, or maybe they were both just nervous. It definitely seemed like it though.

He commented her. "Thank you." 'And you know you already look damn good,' she thought, but knew she didn't have to say. She got many compliments from guys, though, but never really paid attention to them. With Squall, she knew it was different. She knew he was being genuine, at least she thought he was. It looked to Aerith that she and Squall had a building chemistry, but that was probably an illusion.

"What would I want to be doing?" Aerith blinked. Nobody had ever asked her that before, and she never really thought about it.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. Back home, I didn't really have anything going for me, except growing flowers and selling them. That seemed to be the only thing I was good at, but it wasn't often that anyone would buy flowers from me. There wasn't a demand for them because everyone else wanted to buy from an upscale flower shop. If I could do something for myself, well, I really don't know, maybe I could...nah..." She trailed off as nothing came to mind. "I know if I weren't stuck with you, I'd be bored, that's for sure!" she joked. But it was also the truth. She didn't have anyone else in town to hang out with. No Yuffie, she was long gone doing her own thing somewhere else. "What about you? Is there anything you'd want to do if you weren't here?"

"Anything I'd rather be doing?" he repeated. "Not that I can think of. Tonight's been really great, actually, surprisingly enough."
With another crack of a smile, Squall stared down as a small basket of bread was placed on the table by a small girl who nodded as she left. He gingerly picked one up, taking a small bite out of the tip. Looking satisfied enough, Squall continued his various amounts of bites and chews, swallowing in between, of course. He sighed in contentment, leaning back a bit in his chair. As he ran another hand through his hair, he placed his hands in his lap with a hiss.

"Maybe you should try 'n garden here. I mean, I know it's always dark.. but there are some flowers that can strive in the dark, yeah?" giving up on his daiquiri, Squall took a sip of his lemon-adorned water. "If you like doin' it, nothing should stop you."
Something, Squall knew, had changed inside of him. He looked upward slowly, watching the chandelier above them twinkle and glisten in the soft, romantic light resting in the room. His gaze returned to Aerith, who was bathed in the light and looked perfect- like an angel. This was the first time in a very, very long time- even for a moment - that his heart had actually gotten over Rinoa.

He almost physically choked on his feelings, gulping them down and keeping silent. He stared down at his lap like a child in time-out. A sigh dropped into the air from his lips, and he took another quick, forced sip of his water.

"Yeah, I totally agree with you. Thanks so much for taking me out. Sorry for making you have to do it, though." Not to mention this was one of the more classier (and possibly expensive) restaurants of the town. Her voice perked up, indicating another change of mood. 'Damn, am I bipolar or something?' she asked herself internally. She watched people on the dance floor nearby, herself longing to want to go out there and go salsa, but she didn't really have a partner to go with. The music she was hearing the surround stereo play started out with a slow dance but the beat picked up into something more lively. She only could just watch the other couples have their fun. After all, she didn't really have a partner of her own to dance with, either.

Aerith giggled. "Was that a smile I just saw coming out of the great, stoic, Squall Leonhart?" she teased. "I like it though," she nodded. She didn't feel like eating yet, knowing she'd get full off of her alfredo pasta, anyway. But she couldn't help eyeing the fresh, hot baked goods. She took a piece from the bread basket and buttered it with the small knife that was in front of her, then peeled it off into smaller pieces that she could eat.

"Me? Grow flowers here? Well..." she started. "Maybe I could. The only things I can think of are moonflowers and night-blooming Jasmines. But I haven't done any of that for years. That's a different part of my life. I just wanna see if I can do something that's...unpredictable." She laughed. "But you're already teaching me to fight with a sword. That's one thing. I want to know if there's more that I could do though. Something I was truly meant to do, or someone I was meant to be. Do you know what I mean?"

Her insides were churning and she felt her face burn. She then stood up. "I'm sorry, it's a bit warm in here," she gulped. "I-I'll be outside," she said, pointing in some random direction.

Aerith picked up the hem of her black dress and ran off. She ended up in the lobby first off, and looked for a way out, eventually finding the terrace. Her black heels clicked the marble tile, and into the cool night air, flung herself outside, ultimately gripping the concrete banister that supported her, lest she should fall.

Breathing in and out she leaned against the banister for a while to clear her head. "This shouldn't be that hard. Oh, but I can't breathe easy when he's in front of me." Steadying herself, she closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders. 'Nothing too tense happened, we were just making small talk.' She tried to remind herself that, but she knew she'd never had any feelings like this for anybody in particular before.

[[I apologize for my absence. I've had some pretty relevant troubles for the past few weeks. I hope we can get back on track!]]

Squall sat still, choking on the abrupt exit Aerith made-- she left, her pasta still wound around her fork; the straw from her drink hanging halfway out of the glass; her "date" pale and speechless.

It was obviously too late for her to hear him, but Squall threw in a helpless-sounding "Aerith?" at the girl as she scurried off. He wanted to give her space (because that's usually what the whole running off thing indicated), but he was worried about her. He hadn't known her for very long (as far as talking to each other went), but he was almost positive that she didn't run away from the table just on a whim. Like he thought a gentleman should, Squall waited about five minutes for her return--- a long, boring, awkward five minutes. A five minutes of dirty looks and cocked heads. Slowly, Squall lifted himself from his chair, asking the waiter to give him a moment to return. A sigh fell from his lips as he traced Aerith's steps, his hands in his pockets, his head down. He didn't know what to say or to ask when he found her; he wasn't very good with words... at all.

He found her standing on a veranda in the most gorgeous, mystifying way. He gulped down his nerves (and a bit of a bread stick he'd chomped off before trudging after her), peeking around the wall at her. Not knowing what to say... whatsoever... Squall felt betrayed by himself. He should know how to talk to Aerith; he shouldn't have made her want to run away. He knew it was his fault: there was no one else to blame it on, yeah?
"Aerith?" he said in his strong, Squall Leonhart voice with a low grumble. His voice was surprisingly coaxing, though, and caring. "Aerith, are you alright?"
He stepped out of the doorway and onto the marble. His hand still fixed on the arch's molding, he took another step forward. Slowly releasing his anchor of sorts, Squall quietly, tensely, made his way across the balcony to introduce his eyes to her once more. Once they met and greeted each other, the uneasiness in his abdomen left him.

"Was it something I said?" he asked, placing a hand on her exposed shoulder. He, then, remembered the last question she asked him before running from his view. "Or... was it something I didn't say?"

((Aww I hope you've got everything sorted out. No worries though...I have less time to spend on here now that I started a job so yeah.))

((Haha, now it's my turn, except I've been lazy and slept through my whole Spring Break.))

She turned, hearing his voice but looked down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, that was really uncalled for, huh?" Her excuse? "It's way too warm in there. I needed some air." Her voice faltered. "You should go back inside, I'm fine. But I'm really sorry!" Trying to look at Squall was difficult enough. Aerith really wasn't sure how to act upon herself...what she should do, what she should be saying. Maybe she just hoped for too much.

More people filed to the veranda, ignoring the other couple already there, for polite or romantic conversation and just listening to the music that was playing inside, but would rather stand outside than sit. A waiter passed by, offering glasses of wine to the guests. Aerith herself asked for one, and received it, but didn't know if Squall wanted any as well. "Really, I'll be all right. I just need some air." She took a sip...or two...or three, of her wine and looked at him. "Want any?" she offered, holding her glass in front of him. He was still standing there but she didn't exactly want to answer his question.

The chatter from the other people drowned out her unease, knowing it was less intimate that other people were there, and made her feel slightly better. Her head tilted up, as she looked at the starry sky, which never wanted to disappear even if anyone wanted. This was Traverse Town, after all. She was still embarrassed and knew she made a fool of herself. "There's just certain times when I wish I wasn't myself. I hate to show it in such a bad way," she admitted to him, running her finger around the rim of the glass, her eyes once again downcast. "But I must've ruined your evening..." she trailed off. Her mind wandered back to the earlier time when she was just learning to swordfight with him. So much had changed between them in the speck of a "day." It may have been longer...you never know when the next day (or night) begun unless the town's clock tower struck midnight. Back in those few hours ago, Aerith was fearless... was a nuisance...wanted to be independent. Until now.

Aerith wanted someone to be with her. Companionship? Friendship? Love? She was fickle, and it seemed that she'd been rushing into things, and felt guilty about it now.